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walking the trail?
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Eran Reem from Oveland park ks on 4/7/2021 12:06:40 PM:
Hi all,
My daughter and I thought about walking the trail from Kansas City to Saint Louis.
I would be glad if you can help us:
1. Is it safe?
2. are there any good spots to sleep on the way (in a tent or just outside).
3. any other recommendations.

Thanks.
ERan
 
Dave from Kirkwood on 4/9/2021 10:17:41 AM:
There is lots of information on the website here that should help you with your questions:

1. Safety - see the FAQ link off main page:
https://bikekatytrail.com/katy-trail-faq.aspx

Most people think the trail is very safe, but you might have your own ideas if being in remote areas and camping alone are issues.

2. Sleeping is limited to campgrounds and hotels/B&Bs. There is not really any open camping (or stealth camping) along the trail. See this page for camping options:
https://bikekatytrail.com/katy-trail-camping.aspx

3. I recommend reading the trip reports from other hikers and see how they managed to pull off the challenging feat.
https://bikekatytrail.com/trip-report.aspx

I think the main challenges would be finding camping every night at the right distance (hotels and B&Bs would add more options) and making sure you have access to food and water as needed (stores and restaurants can sometimes be closed, so call ahead for critical needs).
 
Dan Paradis from Hooksett New Hampshire on 4/12/2021 7:28:17 PM:
There are also Hostels right on the trail including a free church one I stayed at twice on my yo-yo bike trip. I also did stealth camp twice also but they discourage it. If you hike to Sunset and get up at Sunrise shouldn't be a problem.
Am also planning a thru-hike of the trail this Oct. If you would like any info from my out @ back bike trip. I journaled the entire trip on Trail Journals.com Have Fun. Its a great Trail. Terodactyle
 
Anonymous on 4/13/2021 8:34:40 AM:
They discourage stealth camping because legislation in the state of Missouri is such that trespassing is against the law. Land owners have the right to have you charged with trespass and to vacate their property when you are caught. I'd rather make a coherent decision as to where to lay my head for the night while it was daylight and not at 2 in the morning with an angry land owner deciding for me.

Also, in the big picture, stealth camping does absolutely nothing to build good working relationships between land owners and those who wish to build or maintain trails such as the Katy.
 
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